Criminal Minds
by Sonicfries
Summary: When his Cousin is abducted by a psychopath, Ben and his grandfather look toward Kevin Levin in hopes that with one criminal mind they may understand another, but Kevin's motives seem to stray away from just being selfish.
1. Chapter 1

Criminal Minds

Chapter One: An Acquaintance of an Enemy is a Friend

Inside a cold and somber interrogation room.

'We brought you here to help us, and help yourself in the process.' Max Tennyson explained to the handcuffed figure from across the table.

'I don't see how any of this is my problem, so I bunked with the guy in the null void. It hardly means we were great friends." retorted the cynical voice of a teenaged boy. "Besides, anyone with the last name 'Tennyson' isn't worth my time. As I recall it was your grandson that put me in here."

Max leaned back in his chair and observed the teen with cold indifference.

"You did that to yourself Kevin."

"Still not motivating me to talk gramps." Kevin Levin smirked as if he had all the time in the world, but Max Tennyson knew that was something that he and 'she' didn't have.

"You'd withhold information that could save a girl's life deliberately, just to get back at Ben?" Max questioned.

"Let me think…uh Yeah." Kevin said without hesitation. Max was getting irate, they weren't getting anywhere with him. At last he stood up and braced both hands on the table to lean in to Kevin, as if telling him a secret he didn't want the people on the other side of the window to hear.

"It's a shame that you won't cooperate, if you only did as I asked I could have gotten you on parole sooner….but it seems you like the null void too much." Max whispered to Kevin.

The teenager looked back wide-eyed, and as Max turned around to leave the interrogation room. Kevin called to the older man desperately.

"ALRIGHT!, I'll help you."

Max smiled and nodded toward the boy as he exited the room. He was greeted by his grandson as he closed the interrogation room door.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" a sixteen year-old Ben Tennyson asked his grandfather as they walked down the Plumber's HQ.

"We have no choice, he knows who we are dealing with personally." Max responded.

"But he's a criminal." Ben stated.

"But he's not a murderer. Kevin may have made some bad choices but they can be easily atoned. We always thought that he was too soft for the null-void, being a petty thief doesn't rank as high as being a serial rapist slash murderer." Max tried to explain to his grandson.

"When are you going to brief him on the entire situation?" Ben asked.

" I was hoping to do it now, but I felt that it would be best if you were in there with me." said Max. "He's more likely to be sympathetic if more of the family is there, then just the grandfather."

* * *

Interrogation Room, two hours later.

Kevin Levin was escorted back into the room, hands cuffed and legs chained. As he walked in he spotted Ben sitting beside Max and immediately glared daggers into the boy.

"Alright Kevin, tell us what you know." Max began.

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, first tell me what you know." Kevin replied. Ben squinted his eyes in anger, opening his mouth to say something but his grandfather cut him off.

"Fine, a sixteen year old girl was abducted on her way home from school. She's been missing for two weeks now. The culprit has been sending videos , photos and letters to the victims house to show her parents that she is alive but her condition worsens with every new photo and video. He is very religious and believes that he is purifying the victim." Max explained in a controlled voice. He pulls out a file and lays it out in front of Kevin to examine the case file of the man they believe was behind it.

"The name on his records say "Bartholomew Clifton", but we hear that he goes by a different name in the null void." Max probed, trying to get Kevin to begin talking.

"Yeah, he went by Dante. Was a real piece of work." said Kevin. "I bunked with him for several months, couldn't find anywhere else to stay."

"He must have trusted you enough to let you stay with him." Ben inquired. Kevin looked at Ben reproachfully before replying.

"I offered him great deals on alien tech, he was an avid buyer."

"Did he talk to you of previous crimes he'd done?" Max asked. Kevin leaned back in his chair as if in thought.

"He was very proud of some, he would recount in detail all the things he'd gotten away with. It wasn't a secret that he had thing for underage girls, but who was I to judge?" the teenager replied.

"You never felt nauseated by the stories he'd told, about what he did to those girls?" asked Max slowly.

"I didn't know them personally, let the guy have his fun." Kevin said nonchalantly.

Ben then slammed another folder in front of Kevin, brandishing a photo of a very attractive young face who stared back at him with green eyes.

"So looking at the victim's face, you could look straight at it and say "Let the guy have his fun?" Ben yelled.

Kevin stared hard at the photo, as if memorizing it to the very last strand of auburn hair.

"This sick freak has my cousin, and if you have any heart at all- you'll tell us exactly what he told you and you'll help us catch him- before it's too late." Ben seethed.

Kevin Levin had never shown any compassion toward anyone else, so whether it was the desperation in his enemy's face or the hauntingly care-free gaze of the girl in the photo- it brought that feeling out it him for the first time.

"What's her name?" Kevin asked, looking back down at the photo.

"Her name is Gwendolyn Tennyson, and it's your help that will determine whether we reach her in time or not." Max Tennyson stated.


	2. Chapter 2

Criminal Minds

Chapter Two: Deciphering a Psychopath's Intent

Jane Tennyson mustered up the energy to walk down the driveway to retrieve the mail. Since her daughter's disappearance, the constant letters, photos and videos- Jane Tennyson had lost the will to do anything. She feared that long walk to the mailbox, would there be another package waiting for her?

Her alabaster hands shook as she opened the black lid and reached inside. Her hands grasped the paper inside and pulled her hand out….

Interrogation Room, Plumbers HQ

"Another package was sent to the Tennyson home today." Magister Labrid said to those present in the room. Labrid was recently assigned to the case after hearing that his good friend Max's granddaughter was the victim. He felt it necessary to do all he could to help.

"Has it went through inspection? Fingerprints, DNA samples?"asked Max. Labrid nodded in return.

"We reviewed the contents inside, it consisted of photos and writing. But there's bad news." Labrid hesitated as he seen fear flicker across Max's face, to was a good thing that Ben was currently getting coffee otherwise this conversation would be even harder.

"Gwen is not the girl in the recent photos and writings. We have to assume he has taken another girl hostage, but the chances of Gwen still being alive is slimming each day and with this revelation it's a good chance that----" Labrid trailed off, not wanting to finish.

Max dropped his head in his hands, trying to keep his emotions under control. With a deep sigh that showed his age, he looked back up at his old friend.

"Give me all the letters and penships that Clifton sent us, I want to analyze them more."

"Max, we've been over them letters a million times- nothing about them makes sense…" Labrid tried to reason with the older man.

"I have no choice!" Max's fury was rising, out of desperation and fear of find his missing granddaughter. "Perhaps Levin may understand something about them."

Kevin had good accommodations, so he had little to complain about. Max had kept his word about him being set out on parole early. A lawyer had come and filed the papers to set a court date for the parole to be set. While he waited the day away in his holding cell, he thought long and hard over all the conversations he held with Dante. The guy was never someone a person forgot. Deep in thought he was startled with the iron door opened to reveal Max and another Magister, ready to escort him to the interrogation room.

'He sent another package today, but the photos are of a different girl." Max explained as he showed Kevin the pictures. "There is also a letter that came with that, but all the ones we receive have baffled us."

Kevin picked up the photo and examined the crying gagged girl. Her hair was brown and the piercing in her brow had been ripped out, purple bruises could be seen clearly in the Polaroid.

"We believe that he may have kidnapped another girl--" Labrid said.

"No, no he didn't." Kevin responded, studying the photo intently. "This is an old photo, the girl is probably dead by now."

"What makes you say that?" Max inquired. Kevin stroked his chin in thought before replying.

"I Remember a story Dante had told us, about a burnet with an eyebrow piercing. He said he had followed her for weeks before making a move, how he liked the chase." Kevin recounted. "It's what got him off, was the hunt. The sick freak would get himself turned on just talking about it."

"It still doesn't mean this is the same girl." Labrid stated.

"What did the letters say?" Kevin asked. Max pushed the small stack of letters across the table for Kevin to read.

"He seems to be quoting from some text, but we can't find it on any mainstream religion." Max explained, as he watched Kevin look over the words.

"--Souhld she sortm out in dfiacene trehe be jsuticftaion to baet utinl she smuccubs. Eivl is taht

Wihch was bron fmelae. Pfuriy her wtih clod setel and slipt boold, utinl she clals men her mstaer.

"Sounds like gibberish, all his letters are like that." Labrid told Kevin.

"Dante was a weird guy, if he were into the occult I'd have known- or he hid it well." Kevin said. "He liked to talk about the girl's he'd 'been with' like he was some frat boy that scored, I assumed he was just a serial rapist, didn't know he'd taken them like pets." Kevin continued.

"I'll need more time with these letters, but I can tell you that he probably sent that package to throw you off from the girl you are looking for, meaning she's more then likely still alive."

This brought immeasurable comfort to Max, even though it was coming from a teenage thief.

"What places did Dante favor as home?" Max asked.

"Foundries, warehouses, the creepy basement apartment on the bad side of town…any scum place he could get cheap." Kevin answered.

"We said he sent videos, if we showed you them, could you figure out where they were taped?" Labrid asked Kevin.

"I'll give it my best but no promises."

"Alright, I'll go get them out of evidence- it will take a while so get comfortable." said Labrid as he nodded to both Max and Kevin, then exited the Interrogation room. It left just Max and Kevin together.

The silence lasted a good ten minutes before Kevin spoke up.

"So, tell me more about your granddaughter." Max looked up at the boy in mild surprise, but was not unwilling to answer him.

* * *

"It is a woman's duty to be seen and not heard." a deep voice whispered to himself. "A woman shall bow before their man's feet and give him no sorrows." He traced the silver blade against the bound girl's cheek. The auburn teen whimpered, her voice nearly lost from all the screaming and protests from before.

"Please, please I just want to go home." She rasped out. "Please let me go." more sobbing.

"Oh sh sh sh sh sh… crying makes you heard, you can't be heard."

She cried harder.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Fifteen Days

She scraped her nail across the cement wall in a horizontal line, creating another niche to add to her collection of tallies. Her arms were numb, hair matted with dried blood, and the cuts and bruises were beginning to crust and yellow.

Times when she was blessed to be by herself, it made her think of the life she may have taken for granted. Perhaps she had been too fortunate and this was karma coming to bring her smite.

A loud creak echoed and she shot her head up in alertness, her body trembling with pain and fear. Her green eyes eased in and out of focus…with the flicker of a purple glow that vanished as soon as it came.

Fifteen days.

………………………

Ben never liked to be left out of the loop, especially with the stakes they were dealing with. He had been informed that Grandpa Max had went and spoken to Kevin without him being there, which tipped off his anger.

He arrived earlier then his grandfather, for the sole purpose of 'speaking' with Kevin.

As he approached the double guarded cell, he waved his hand in dismissal. Being the Omnatrix bearer gave him unlimited access to the Plumber HQ.

Pulling out a card he slid it through the card-key slot, and the iron door slid open.

The lounging form of Kevin Levin is what met him on the other side, his cell was bare with only the toilet and bed that each rested on opposite sides.

Kevin's blue eyes looked at his former enemy in comfortable hatred.

"Well well well, I have a feeling you aren't hear to engage in friendly conversation." Kevin said snidely.

"Cut with the crap, Kevin." Ben returned. "I just want to get one thing straight with you, my cousin is out there in the hands of a psychopath and my job is to make sure you don't lead us in circles." Ben Threatened, now right in Kevin's personal space.

Kevin looked back unaffected. He took a moment before replying in a calm tone.

"Why would I be twisting your arm, if my participation gets me freedom?"

"Can I guarantee that you keep to your selfish reason?" Ben asked levelly.

"I've got no other to rival it." answered Kevin. Ben sunk down to sit on the bed in exhaustion.

They sat there, in grudging silence. As if accepting an unspoken treaty between both enemies.

Ben pulled his head out of his hands in looked at the opposite wall in contemplation.

"We used to hate each other when we were kids…." Ben began. Kevin thought he was referring to the two of them but realized Ben's intent as he continued. "My cousin and I."

"There were times were we loathed each other to the point of strangulation, but I could always count on her to pull me out of the trouble I got myself into. As we got older, we became more cordial- she became like the sister I never wanted instead of the cousin I annoyed." Ben paused in sadness.

"All those adventures I had, the stories always began with Grandpa Max, Gwen, and I…" he trailed off.

Kevin listened intently, and understood the loss Ben must have been feeling. He could not offer empathy but only sympathy.

"I'll do what I can, I can't make any promises."

* * *

"Have you got all the videos?" Max asked one of the officers incharge of evidence, they nodded and handed Max a box full of VHS tapes.

"They are in your authorization until Wednesday, if they fail to be returned then we will charge you obstruction of evidence." The officer quoted, for regulations sake.

Max nodded as he closed the door behind him and walked back to the interrogation room, the large box in hand. They had a long day of going over these videos ahead of them.

It surprised him when he saw Kevin already there, and Ben sitting across the table from him. The television had already been brought in and set up.

He set the box down and began unpacking the videos. "Well saves me the trouble from going to get you, we're going to need every spare moment to analyze these videos." Max said as he picked out a specific tape and put it in the VCR, he reached for the remote and pressed play…. Static appeared for the first few minutes but gave way to show a low-lit room…..

*I still need to work out what I'm going to have revealed on the tapes, so the next chapter will be solely going over that evidence and a bit more foreshadowing.*


End file.
